Rodzina

Rating:
Summary: Cushman Does It Again
Review: A gaggle of orphans leaves Chicago, bound west toward slavery or worse--at least that's the prevailing opinion among the children. Rodzina, a twelve year old Polish immigrant who lost her family to fire and illness, narrates this journey with humor, candor, sadness, and humanity. As the miles click away, we learn something of the time and places through which we are taken. In the tradition of Lucy Whipple, Catherine Called Birdy, and Matilda Bone, Rodzina is another example of a strong girl making sense of her desperate situation. This book is perfect for children in grades four through nine, and for fans of children's literature no matter what age. Karen Cushman is a gifted storyteller.

Rating:
Summary: Cushman Does It Again
Review: A gaggle of orphans leaves Chicago, bound west toward slavery or worse--at least that's the prevailing opinion among the children. Rodzina, a twelve year old Polish immigrant who lost her family to fire and illness, narrates this journey with humor, candor, sadness, and humanity. As the miles click away, we learn something of the time and places through which we are taken. In the tradition of Lucy Whipple, Catherine Called Birdy, and Matilda Bone, Rodzina is another example of a strong girl making sense of her desperate situation. This book is perfect for children in grades four through nine, and for fans of children's literature no matter what age. Karen Cushman is a gifted storyteller.

Rating:
Summary: A rich and powerful tale of self-discovery.
Review: Rodzina has seen the face of tragedy several times over, and now it seems as if hope has turned its back on this homely immigrant from Poland.

Rodzina and many other orphaned children of all ages are being shipped out of Chicago on a train. They are going west to find new homes and establish new lives. At the time, the powers-that-be believed that working on farms as laborers would be good for these city orphans. Rodzina and many of the other orphans consider this change in circumstances to be a sentence to a life of slavery, and needless to say, Rodzina would rather live in an orphanage or even on the streets than face an existence in a strange place where she has to work in the fields from sun up to sun down day after day. Bitter, sharp and angry, Rodzina isolates herself from everyone else on the train as it clatters west. At each town where the train stops, a few more orphans find homes until Rodzina is the only one left, alone and unwanted.

Carefully researched, RODZINA tells us of a time when orphans were not to be trusted and were often treated little better than slaves or beasts of burden. It was not uncommon for orphans to have their teeth and limbs examined by prospective 'parents' at the time of 'adoption' to determine their worthiness as potential farmhands. In the back of the book, the reader will find a detailed history of the Orphan Train and other similar efforts to 'rehabilitate' orphaned and unwanted children.

Karen Cushman has received great acclaim for her historical novels, as she was awarded a Newbery Honor for CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY and the Newbery Medal for THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. With skill and finesse, Cushman weaves a rich and powerful tale of self-discovery and, ultimately, hope.

--- Reviewed by Marya Jansen-Gruber

Rating:
Summary: A spunky and candid look at life
Review: Rodzina is one of a large group of children who board the Orphan Train in search of new homes and lives; but unlike her fellow hopefuls, she has no illusions about her marketability to a potential family. She's large, ugly and Polish - who would want a 12-year-old with such characteristics? Rodzina's spunk and candid look at life makes for a compelling, different Orphan Train story.

Rating:
Summary: Love, Wisdom, and Perserverence
Review: This book is just as fun for kids as Harry Potter. Like Harry Potter Rodzina has lost both her parents, but unlike Harry Potter she lacks all the magic and charm. The book is more of a historical fiction set in the 1800s. It tells the story of destitute orphans made to live with rural families as free child labor. This is the story of one of those orphans. Rodzina, proud of her Polish heritage, and unwilling to lose her identity, struggles to maintain her self-worth living with a family that treats her like a commodity. Two other books I highly recommend for children are: The Butterfly (Jay Singh) and The Little Prince (Saint-Exupery). And the one book I supremely recommend to all: The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho).

Rating:
Summary: super book
Review: this is a good books for girls with adventure on their mind. Tis girl shows bravery as she travels insearch of a new home now she is an orphan. she os funny too. and her homes she has to escape from are awful. read to see if rodzina will find what she is looking for. also recommended are the midwife's apprentice, the camp of the angel, the bear's house. And the Little house books.

Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Cushman novel
Review: This is a sweetheart of a story. I enjoyed every page of this book. Rodzina is with a group of orphans that is being sent out West on the Orphan Train. Rodzina is grumpy and grouchy. She is also frightened and lonely. Unlike the other orphans in the group, she came from a happy home and had loving parents. She is drawn to Miss Doctor who is in charge of the girls on the train even though she seems uncaring and cold. Rodzina does have a gift for organization and caring for younger children. Some of my favorite parts of the story are where she tells stories to the lother children. She is a wonderful storyteller. The children's desire for a family is touching and heart breaking at the same time. Rodzina is looking for a home and you cheer for her as she reaches for it. I am a fan of Katherine Cushman, this is my very favorite book of hers so far.

Rating:
Summary: Beautifully done
Review: This is a wonderful book. Big, grouchy Rodzina is a character with great appeal, vulnerable, strong, and funny. Her bleak situation makes for good suspense and real shudders, since we know that many orphan children actually did find themselves sent out West on trains with the (often unfounded) hope that they'd be adopted by decent families. Cushman brings this episode in history very much alive. Readers will be amused, informed (never heavy-handedly), and moved.